WATER POLICY

Lawmakers strike deal to boost EPA loans, hydropower

A key EPA program that helps state and local governments boost drinking water quality would be extended by three years under a broad water infrastructure deal agreed to by House and Senate negotiators this week, which also takes aim at the permitting process for hydropower projects.

The Trump administration's bid to limit which wetlands and streams are covered by the Clean Water Act is backed by an analysis that assumes many states will boost regulations as federal oversight retreats. But state regulators and environmental experts say closing that gap will be all but impossible.

The Trump administration's bid to limit which wetlands and streams are covered by the Clean Water Act is backed by an analysis that assumes many states will boost regulations as federal oversight retreats. But state regulators and environmental experts say closing that gap will be all but impossible.